Tabarka Fort – A Rare Look Inside

Tabarka Fort – A Rare Look Inside

Although not open to the public we were given the honour and opportunity to have a look around the Tabarka Castle. It was only after the event we discovered how privileged we were, it’s rare for visitors to be allowed inside.

I decided to mark the occasion with a video and photos to share. Having a look around the castle has been the highlight of our trip, seeing our photos you will understand why…

Some Back Ground History

The Tabarka Castle or Genoese Fort was built in 1540 by the Italian Genoese Family. It’s purpose was to house a garrison, whose role was to protect those who harvested the red coral of the region. Coral harvesting is still a valuable trade for Tabarka and Tunisia to this day. What makes the Geneose family interesting, is that they were Christians operating from a Muslim country. At the time Tabarka was part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. This meant that you had a Christian army, all be it small, operating out of a Muslim Country.

The castle was built on a small island less than one kilometre from Tabarka and it was the French, during the second world war that joined the two land masses.

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Hi Reet,
I loved seeing the fort, so old and such history… I would have preferred to see the colour of the stone against the Mediterranean blue water and sky, plus your opening shot shows the fantastic geology the fort sits on. That must have been a wang-dinger of an earthquake to move those sedimentary layers up to the angle they are now! The music was really good with the imagery – you are such a clever chick! xxxx Di

That’s an excellent video, Reet. You are becoming quite an accomplished film maker and diarist and the subject matter is fascinating. There’s a book and a TV series in all of this in years to come. Keep up the outstanding work.
Cheers!
Walt